Syllabus

Master of Science in Education

EDU 743: Connecting Reading and Writing for Success – Spring B 2016

Credits - 3

Description

This course will immerse teachers in the theoretical and evidence-based reading and writing connection. Teachers will have the opportunity to explore this connection by examining and applying successful instructional strategies and activities. In addition, teachers will engage with the research that drives effective writing instruction. Each learning module will be devoted to answering an inquiry question that is based in research and best practice. Teachers, regardless of the level or content they teach, will be provided with tools that will help to maintain learners’ literacy development as they read and write to learn or learn to read and write.

Materials

Learning Objectives and Outcomes

For each course in this program there are overall program goals. Below is a chart of how the overall program goals match the key assessments for this course. In addition, in each module there are smaller learning objectives. These will be specified at the beginning of each week’s introduction along with how these match the broader program goals. The following chart will detail the following:

• Course Objectives:  These are what we hope you will learn through this course.
• Program Objectives: These are some overarching take-aways that we hope you will gain through participation in this program. These are found in each course and can be found on the Literacy Concentration Website.
• INTASC Standards: The state of Maine has gone to adopting these standards for all practicing teachers. These standards have been developed through a consortium of states and specify what all teachers should be able to do. There is an extra standard for Technology as well (National Educational Technology Standards (NETS)) that also is required in Maine.
• IRA Standards for Reading Professionals 2010:These standards set forth the criteria for developing and evaluating preparation programs for reading professionals.

Course Objectives	Learning Outcomes	Alignment with Department Guiding Principles	Connection to Maine’s Initial Teacher Certification Standards	Connection to Program Objectives
Teachers will demonstrate understanding around the foundational knowledge about the Reading-Writing connection which leads to our understanding of how a reader and writer progress.	Students will create a Multi-modal Writing Portrait where they demonstrate their ability to incorporate new knowledge with current practice. Students will contribute toThreaded Discussions they will discuss foundational knowledge about writing practice and pedagogy.	Rigorous mind, Reflective stance	1, 4 -NBTS; 3, 4, -MSIC	Students will be able to articulate foundational knowledge of literacy through the examination of both theoretical and evidence-based reading and writing instruction.
Teachers will demonstrate the ability to create effective writing instruction in their classrooms.	Students will participate inBook Study Groups and create a Book Study Project to demonstrate that they can incorporate new knowledge into instructional practice.	Competent demonstration,	2, 3, 4 -NBTS; 1, 2, 4, 5, -MSIC	Students will be able to create, evaluate, deliver, and analyze literacy instruction that supports all students’ reading and writing learning.
Teachers will reflect on how participating in a Writers’ Workshop influenced their thinking about writing in their own lives.	Students will participate inWriting Workshop Blogs where they experience the writing process.	Reflective stance	1, 2, 3, 5 -NBTS; 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10 -MSIC	Students will be able to create, evaluate, deliver, and analyze literacy instruction that supports all students’ reading and writing learning.
Teachers will describe how technology may enhance reading and writing instruction in their classroom.	Students will contribute to the Writing Technology Glossary to demonstrate their understanding of the connection between technology and writing.	Rigorous mind, Competent demonstration	2, 3, 4 -NBTS; 1, 4, 5, -MSIC	Students will be able to articulate foundational knowledge of literacy through the examination of both theoretical and evidence-based reading and writing instruction.
Teachers will synthesize literacy research as it pertains to the reading-writing connection.	Students will read multiple research-based articles and complete an Article Synthesis.	Rigorous mind, competent demonstration	10.c 10.a 10.g 10.i 10.f	Students will be able to locate, analyze, critique, synthesize, and summarize literacy research.

 

Assignments

Course Introduction

In Week 1 of the course you will be given a choice of how to introduce yourself to the group.

 

Book Group Selection

In Week 1 of the course you will be given a choice of a text to read and discuss as a small group.

 

Threaded Discussions

One way that we can monitor that you are engaging in the information is through threaded discussions. In this course you will be primarily engaged in three threaded discussions (Weeks 5-7). You will be asked to discuss different chapters of your textbook with your group.

 

Article Synthesis

One skill that is important in research is the ability to synthesize multiple texts. For this Week 3 assignment you will be asked to read 2 articles related to writing instruction. You will be asked to write a synthesis of these two articles. This is an essential skill that you will need when writing a literature review and also one that we need to teach our students. A rubric establishing expectations and exemplars will be provided.

 

Discussion Reflection

We write to learn and also write to demonstrate understanding. However, being part of a discourse community is part of the learning process. In this class we expect that your participation in threaded discussions will not just demonstrate that you are processing this information but also will enable you to be a productive contributor to a community with the purpose of learning new information. However, we believe that it is not good enough just to be a part of a discourse community but also to reflect on how this writing experience is helping you become a more thoughtful, more informed, and more reflective teacher about writing and learning. In order to use writing to further our growth as learners we need to take some time to step back and reflect on how writing communities contribute to our learning process. At the end of Week Four you will be asked to reflect on your discussion participation and create a goal sheet. You will then be asked to reflect on these goals in Week Seven.

 

Book Study Project

In this course much of the work that you will do will be in your Book Study Groups. In Week 1 you will choose one book to read. You will be put in a group with others who are also reading the book. For the first three weeks you will be reading and discussing the book through your Group’s threaded discussion page. Your discussions should build to a practical application project. In other words, you will consider how you would use this book to improve instruction in your classroom. In Week 5 you will be creating an “Instructional Action Plan” based on this book that you will then share with your group.

 

Technology Glossary Entry

Much has been written about the connection between technology and writing. It almost seems that today we cannot write independently of technology. In this Week 6 assignment you will be asked to review one of the many technology applications that exists with the goal of improving or supporting writing. You will fill out a short template that explains this tool and add this to a class glossary. The goal is to increase your knowledge of the connection between technology and writing.

 

Writer’s Workshop Blog

For this assignment you will be given the time to write in a Writer’s Workshop Blog. Each of you will have your own individual blogs through Blackboard that you will maintain throughout this course. For the first few weeks you will be engaged in a series of 5 quick writes (each is worth 2 points) on selected topics. Each quick write will also model a different genre of writing. You will be sharing these with a partner for feedback. You will then choose one of these pieces to take to a final copy that you will share with the whole class in Week 7. You will also write a brief reflection of this process to submit with your final copy.

 

Multi-modal Writing Portrait

For this Week 8 assignment students will create a “Writing Portrait” of what writing instruction in their classrooms looks like currently– and what they would like to change about their writing instruction if they could– and how they could differentiate this instruction more to meet the needs of their students. This assignment will enable students to articulate foundational knowledge of literacy through the examination of both theoretical and evidence-based reading and writing instruction by combining the readings from this class with actual practical implications. This assignment is called a multi-modal project as we want you to use not just words to describe your writing portrait but also photos, pictures, videos, illustrations, music—any mode of expression to enhance our understanding of how you envision the teaching of writing in your setting.

Grading Policy

Your grade in this course will be determined by the following criteria:

Grade Breakdown

Assignment	100 Total Points
Course Introduction	5 points
3 Threaded discussions	9 points (3 points each)
Article Synthesis	10 Points
2 Discussion Reflectionsn	8 points
Book Study Project	20 points (total for all components)
Technology Glossary Entry	8 points
Writer’s Workshop Blog	20 points (total for all components)
Multi-Modal Writing Portrait	20 points

Grade Scale

Grade	Points Grade	Point Average (GPA)
A	94 – 100%	4.00
A-	90 – 93%	3.75
B+	87 – 89%	3.50
B	84 – 86%	3.00
B-	80 – 83%	2.75
C+	77 – 79%	2.50
C	74 – 76%	2.00
C-	70 – 73%	1.75
D	64 – 69%	1.00
F	00 – 63%	0.00